Glacier Peak Competition: Comeback Bot
Two weeks ago, ORF went to the Glacier Peak event in Snohomish. We had expected the competition to be less competitive than other district events, even though we chose it because of the spacing we wanted between the first and second competitions. However, when we arrived we knew it would not be an easy competition. Teams like Shockwave, Skunkworks, CyberKnights, and the winner of our last competition Jack in the Bot, were all there.
We started the day with 4 match losses in a row. We were in 35th place out of 36, and if we didn’t get some match wins, lack of ranking points might have meant that we didn’t make it to the PNW Championship for the first time in the team’s history. The six scouts in the stands were saddened by the losses and tired after working with the bare minimum amount of scouts. There were no scheduled breaks, and teachers and two members from team 3070 Pronto had to be recruited at Rome’s when Chairman’s award or emergencies in the pit arose.
But then our luck changed. After the build team removed some untested systems hindering the bot, we had our first win of the day and shot up to 22nd place. After lunch, we earned four ranking points from a match where our autonomous succeeded. Our alliance won the match due to a clumsy error on the opposing alliance, giving us a free climb that combined with a levitate Power Up. Our alliance “defeated the boss” and achieved our fourth ranking point, bringing us to 14th place. By the end of day two, we had made it to 12th place.
Had we been a 3rd pick by a 3rd or 4th seed alliance, we would have had a chance to make it to the finals again. Fate had other plans. As the top 8 picked the other top 8 teams, we became the 8th seed alliance, captain. We did gain more ranking points, but we would have gotten more had we gone to the semifinals. As 8th seed, our picks were good but not as strong as 1st, 2nd, or 3rd seed alliances. We lost two matches to the 1st seed alliance and never made it to the semifinals.
Overall the competition was not as successful as we had hoped. Considering the challenges we faced, it was impressive nonetheless. As Co-Captain Peter Barette said, “It wasn’t as successful as Mt.Vernon for our team, but it was more successful for us as a team.”
We are headed to PNW Districts next Wednesday, so expect a blog update on Thursday and Sunday.
Live long and prosper.